1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a display device, and more particular to an active-matrix display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a display device includes a display panel having an effective display section in which a plurality of display pixels are arranged. The display panel includes a plurality of scanning lines for selecting the display pixels, and a plurality of signal lines for supplying image signals to the selected display pixels. A driving IC, which supplies driving signals to the signal lines and scanning lines, has the same number of driving signal output lines as the number of the signal lines and scanning lines.
In recent years, liquid crystal display devices, for instance, have widely been used as display devices. In order to meet a demand to accommodate a display panel in a limited space within the housing of the device and a demand to increase the amount of information to be displayed, such a structure has been desired that the display region is increased as large as possible while the picture-frame-shaped region of the display device is reduced in size.
As a method for decreasing the size of the picture-frame-shaped region of the display device, there has been proposed in the prior art a method in which the positional relationship between the driving IC, a flexible board and their lead lines is improved (see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-305254).
However, even if the positional relationship between the driving IC, etc. is improved as in the above-mentioned liquid crystal display device, an increase in the number of signal lines and scanning lines leads to an increase in length of connection wiring between the flexible board and the signal lines, etc. As a result, the size of the picture-frame-shaped region of the display device would increase.
In addition, there is a limit to the length of the connection part between the flexible board and an array substrate of the display device in the direction in which connection terminals are arranged. Thus, if connection terminals, the number of which is equal to that in the prior art, are disposed with a pitch less than in the prior art, a region where there is no connection terminal would occur on the connection part. In this case, when the flexible board is thermal press-bonded to the array substrate, defective connection of the flexible board may occur in the region where there is no connection terminal.